What I Want in a new Mac Mini
Visit any Apple news site and you’ll see plenty of buzz surrounding the inevitable release of a new MacBook Air and Mac Mini. I’m stoked about both announcements, but what I’m really excited about is the rumor that the Mac Mini will be more focused towards pro level users.
The idea of a headless Mac has a lot of appeal for me.
Since it’s not out yet, I thought it would be fun to offer my wish list for what I would like to see in the 2018 Mac Mini. My hypothetical Mac Mini (hyMacMini) would be a box with a pop-top case (think Mac IIci, but smaller in size). Inside, the hyMacMini would feature (at minimum) a quad core CPU (i5, with i7 and i9 options), DDR5 RAM user expandable up to 32GB (maybe 64GB?), a mobile class discrete GPU and at least two 2.5″ slots.
Like the 15″ MacBook Pro, the hyMacMini would be built to leverage an eGPU thanks to a Thunderbolt 3 port. The hyMacMini would start at $999 for the base model (quad core i5, 8GB RAM, SSD) and top out at $3000 (32GB RAM, i9, 4TB drive) for a fully maxed out machine. Essentially, this hyMacMini would be a Mac Pro Mini. Port wise, it would have 3 USB-C, 1 Thunderbolt 3, 2 USB-A, and an Ethernet port. There would be no SD card slot.
Even though none of this may actually appear in the 2018 Mac Mini, it’s the machine I believe Apple should build. A modular Mac in the form of a Mac Mini would go a long way to repair the damage done to Apple’s pro users.
I, for one, would buy it.
–Krishna
grahamf
August 21, 2018 at 9:09 pmIt’s going to have type-c ports and nothing else. It’s going to have soldiered on RAM, and be engineered to be so thin that cooling becomes a notable issue.
I’m sorry, but Apple’s best days is behind it. It’s riding on the coattails of a great legacy of awesome hardware and software with amazing developer support, but it’s coming to an end.
And that’s not even assuming that Microsoft pulls off the Andromeda and it turns out to be something people want.
Krishna
August 21, 2018 at 9:10 pmSadly, I think this might be the case. If so, it will be mighty disappointing. :(
Kevin S
August 22, 2018 at 6:31 pm2.5″ drive slots are done and gone. If Apple has expandable storage, it will use M.2 slots, and probably half-length or stacked cards to save space.
If they have any USB Type-C ports, they will *all* be Thunderbolt 3. Apple’s shown repeatedly they don’t want to confuse people by having only some physically identical ports support some features.
So there will be… 4x TB3/USB-C, 2x USB-A, and Ethernet.
This is more plausible. (And trust me… M.2 SSDs are faster, more compact, and just as cheap right now)
Krishna
August 23, 2018 at 5:57 amThat would work for me. I hope the forthcoming Mini doesn’t disappoint…
GJB
August 23, 2018 at 7:56 amI think your pricing on the “$999 for the base model (quad core i5, 8GB RAM, SSD)” is a bit too much. For that limited of specs, it should start at $699. Especially considering that base SSD would likely be 128 GB in size.
A Core i7, 16 GB, 256 GB SDD would be more fitting for that price point.